[Status of ranitidine in eradication of Helicobacter pylori]

Permanent removal of Helicobacter pylori leads to a dramatic drop in the recurrence rate of peptic ulcers. The NIH Consensus Conference recommends that Hp-positive patients with duodenal or gastric ulcer should undergo eradication treatment. To date, however, there is no consensus on what constitutes optimal eradication treatment. Presently available therapy may be triple (bismuth plus two antibiotics), dual (acid inhibition and one antibiotic) or modified triple therapy (acid inhibition and two antibiotics). Among numerous treatment proposals, results gained with the H2 blocker ranitidine stand out, on account of the double-blind nature of the studies and the adequate number of cases involved. With modified triple therapy (300 mg ranitidine nocte and 3 times 750 mg amoxicillin daily) eradication rates ranging from 85 to 90%, and with dual therapy (600 mg ranitidine and 2 g amoxicillin daily) 60 to 65%, are obtained.